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Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

Matcha!

Matcha who?

Much ado about Swiss rolls.

This is another Swiss roll post, the third on this blog.
My matcha sheet cake is barely sweet, to keep it in character with green tea which is drunk without sugar. It has quite little oil because matcha doesn't absorb much oil. My vanilla sheet cake, in comparison, has twice as much. Green tea powder also helps "lighten" the cake. You know how tea makes food seem less rich? Matcha does that with cake.

If you don't know much about matcha, please read my post on matcha layer cake. You'll find information on what type of matcha to buy and how to store it.

My matcha sheet cake uses the chiffon method. Making the batter is quite easy. Just do the usual stuff that applies to all cakes, e.g. measuring the ingredients correctly, not over- or underbeating, not over- or undermixing, etc.

The baking part is less straightforward. When I bake the cake, I block the oven's bottom heat around two-thirds of the way. Why? To keep the inside of the cake moist whilst allowing the crust to dry out sufficiently. Without blocking the bottom heat, the crust would be sticky when the inside is just right. And if the bottom heat is blocked too early, the bottom of the cake would stick to the parchment paper.

What makes the crust dry out slowly? Matcha. Some of the fine powder rises to the top of the cake when heated. Do wet leaves dry well in the oven? No, not as well as flour which has starch to help it set. That's why the crust needs the tray's help.

I like to fill my matcha roll with matcha whipped cream and red beans. You can, of course, make sweetened red beans from scratch. But chances are your homemade version won't be as fragrant as Japanese canned red beans unless your beans are from Hokkaido. Chinese red beans are far inferior.

I've tried two brands of red beans: Hashimoto and Imuraya. Both are fragrant but I prefer Hashimoto. It has more bite and is less sweet.

Imuraya beans are mushy and the syrup, because it's thickened with cornstarch, is very gloopy. The gloop clings to the beans, adding to the sweetness and mushiness. Unlike Imuraya, Hashimoto is thickened with sorbitol. The syrup isn't as thick at room temperature, so I can drain it.

One small can of Hashimoto, 190 g, yields 130 g after it's drained. Leftovers may be refrigerated for a few weeks or frozen for a few months.

I like my matcha roll "naked", i.e. it's rolled inside out and there's no icing. I think the green, spongy look is quite pretty. Is rolling the cake difficult? Not at all. The cake handles well (provided it's made right). If you don't know much about rolling Swiss rolls, please read my post on vanilla Swiss roll.

After you make the Swiss roll, have a small piece to see what it's like. Take note of the taste and remember it. Keep the rest of the roll in the fridge, covered, for two days. Your saintly patience will be rewarded with a matcha flavour that's more intense than two days prior, and melded with the red beans. After taking a bite, you'll never again eat matcha Swiss roll that's freshly made . . . or store-bought.

10. To assemble Swiss roll, spread cake with whipped cream, then red beans. Roll. Refrigerate for 2 days, covered. Remove from fridge. Cut with serrated knife, wiping knife clean after each cut. Tuck in when cake is soft but filling is still firm.

184 comments:

sophia
said...

thanks for the effort in creating and sharing this recipe KT! it can't come at a more opportune time, my friend's just requested for a matcha roll with azuki filling and I was at a loss at how to bake one. can't wait to try this one!

Dear KT,Your demonstration of all posts is always amazing!!! I do not understand in some points, could you please explain for me?1/ As I see that this matcha roll recipe is quite similar to chocolate roll, by replacing 10g cocoa powder by 1/2tbp matcha powder(~3g)and difference in the step by step making. I read on some articles that cocoa powder asorbs much moisture than matcha, but why using more cocoa powder?2/ The chocolate one is used in 12''x9'' pan, which is 1.5 times bigger than 10''x7'' pan is this post, so I guess that is the reason why matcha roll is baked in ~15mins while chocolate one is in 10mins??Thanks in advance.

If the cake is rolled inside out, I don't suggest the one-bowl chiffon method. It makes the crumb coarse, as in the photo on the right. If the cake isn't rolled inside out, then it's OK. Leave out the cream of tartar and increase the flour to 20 g for a 10": x 7" pan.

If the cake is rolled inside out, I don't suggest the one-bowl chiffon method. It makes the crumb coarse, as in the photo on the right. If the cake isn't rolled inside out, then it's OK. Leave out the cream of tartar and increase the flour to 20 g for a 10"x 7" pan.

You can call the distributor, Tanesei (tel: 6777 0262), and ask them where you can buy 羽衣 matcha (product code: DR-5900) and Hashimoto red beans (product code: DR-1716). 羽衣 is quite common; Hashimoto is less so. Suggest you also call the supermart you choose, to make sure they have stocks, and check the expiry date for 羽衣. 5 months = very good; less than 4 = no good.

Well, I think so too, I stick to te recipe, cane sugar is more difficult to melt in a dough of batter, I have to accept that, I know. I bake a lot with cane sugar but in this case it is not working, thats oke. Thanks, LuBear....

I've been looking around for Caster sugar, but can't seem to find it. So I googled what exactly is Caster sugar, and how to possibly recreate it using your general granulated sugar, and have come up with multiple people saying to just blend it for a few seconds so the grains become smaller.I've used it in another recipe of yours, and it seemed to work (it was the soufflé cheesecake) since I didn't run into any particular problem.However, since the recipe is yours and I haven't tried it in any of your other recipes, do you think it's an acceptable way to replace the required sugar in your recipes?

Hey KT, unfortunately this is the only photo I have as the cake has been devoured by the family when I woke up. I will try the recipe again on the weekend and update this thread with pictures after the CNY.

Very yummy. I just cut some to eat. Mine looks perfect when out of the oven. And then sank. I probably over mix. Even after it sank, it tastes good . I will make again. for those who said cake is bitter, it is that bit with cocoa powder I guess. Thank you for sharing!

I really love all of your swiss roll recipes. I think you have put in a lot of effort in wodetails for each one. Please let me know whether I can use the matcha recipe to make a coffee roll by replacing matcha powder with coffee powder or will I wait for your coffee roll recipe which might come at a later date. Thanking you in advance..

Remove mud, rinse, steam over rapidly boiling water (for 10 minutes and remove from heat, or for 15 minutes and place in water to cool down). Boiling is OK too, but the heat must be gentle or the eggs will crack. Time as for steaming. Good luck.

sorry... i am not KT but just thought I just share what I know. they are completely different .

self raising contains leavening agent (baking powder) so do NOT use self raising flour if recipe never ask for that (like this one).

I dont keep cake flour at home but i have plain flour and corn flour in the kitchen and i have been substituting cake flour with plain flour + corn flour (1 cup of cake flour = 1 cup of plain flour - 2 tbsp of plain flour + 2 tbsp of plain flour).

Hi, Happy Chinese New Year to you and your loved ones. Love all your cakes videos demonstrations. Very practical. Just wonder can you show us how to do latte coffee. As with so many beautiful and yummy cakes, best go with a cuppa of latte.

Mrs O, long time no hear. Happy New Year to you too. Making latte is a bit difficult without a proper coffee machine that makes espresso with good crema. I'll see if I can make a (very) milky coffee that's passable. Don't hold your breath though.

Hi KT, my baked sheet cake sinks after coming out of the oven. I have my oven preheated and the oven thermometer reading was stable at 200C and I baked the cake for 11 minutes. Before removing from the oven, I have tested by gently pressing the middle with my finger and it springs back. Upon cooling, the four edges are 1.7cm high and the rest of the cake is a uniform 1.0cm high. Is this normal or not? If not, how do I prevent it from sinking?

The oven thermometer read 200C before I placed the cake inside the oven. I didn't monitor the reading after that, but I know from previous baking that the thermometer reading will drop anything between 10 to 15C and then stay there after I put something in to bake, depending on how much stuff went in for baking.

I have already trimmed and discarded the unshrunkened edges without taking a photo. On my next attempt, if it shrinks again I'll post the photo. I'll try baking at a lower temp for longer and see if it cures this problem.

Thanks for your recipe.I made the Swiss roll in my kitchen. But not yet 100% successful because the crust of the cake stick to the parchment paper when I rolled them, so the roll did not have the crust where is the problem?

After several attempts baking at different temperatures and baking times, I finally found the sweet spot for my circumstances. Non-fan oven 170C for 20 minutes. The cake deflated barely discernibly unlike previously (baking at 200C 11 minutes) where they lost half the height within 15 seconds of leaving the oven. Now my cake after cooling, has a thickness of 18mm uniformly from edge to edge. Is this thickness how it should be?

Additionally, the cake rolled beautifully without cracking, without sticking to the parchment paper and is soft, fluffy and delicious.

Hi Sake Soju,May I know how you did it till your cake didn't sink? I just made mine and the result was sank after cool down at cool rack. But the taste is very nice and soft. Smell good. By the way, I am from Indonesia. Nice to know you all here. Especially KT. Thanks a lot for your sharing. I always make chiffon cake with your sharing recipes. Both of my boys love them so much.

Hi KTI would like to know why there is oil in my roux? is my stove temperature too hot or the butter too cold? The cake tasted lovely but it didnt rise. What is the cause as my mixture didnt stick to the whisk.

I tried making your cake as the cake looked irresistible. I have a morphy richard 40 ltr oven and baked it @ 160 degree for 20 mins and i noticed that the cake has not risen much and also the sides were turning brown . i got a pizza sized cake as i was afraid the cake would burn. Can you please help me and let me know where i went wrong. I replaced granulated sugar with castor sugar do u think that was the reason. Also i had soft peaks while i added the meringue.

Hello KTThanks for the best teaching you've done. I wonder, many of your baking recipes don't use baking powder, also this recipe. How the cake is risen ? Could you please explain to me. I've tried this recipe but I put 1/2 tsp after the egg yolks and it's perfect.

I finally got down to trying this recipe and although I had some hiccups along the way, I think it turned out okay! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and tips!

I definitely need to practise my rolling technique a bit more but I'm really happy with how it turned out! :) Just a quick question though, after draining the red beans do you think its possible to just mix them into the whipped cream and spread the mixture together rather than to spread each one separately?

Thanks once again for all your wonderful recipe and videos! I just love how fluffy all your cakes look <3

i just want to thank you so much for sharing your recipe. My first roll was very bad with lots of cracks here and there. The recipe has like over 100g flour! I was devastated. Then I found your recipe. My oh my...., very soft, delicious, no cracks, not sticky at all. Thanks KT! Greetings from Amsterdam.

Hi KT, here is the Matcha Swiss Roll I made today! My oven size is small and I forgot to put a foil on top, and the top layer has become so brownish. Putting aside that, the cake is sooooo yummy! My pan size is 13x9" so I doubled up the ingredients as you advised. I tried one piece and have put the rest in the fridge, looking forward to see how it tastes after a day or two. I totally agree with you that I won't buy any swiss roll from the store after making this! And my girls now don't like the cake from the bakery. (your recipes have lifted their standard!)

I will try a second time soon and hopefully the cake will rise more. Thinking to try chocolate swiss roll with green tea cream too. Putting cocoa powder may affect the fluffiness of the cake. Will see how it goes.

KT, thank you again for this wonderful recipe. I really appreciate your effort in sharing so much details on each recipe, and also the dos and don'ts. Take care!

Hi, thanks for your great recipe, the cake tasted wonderful! I've made it twice now. The last time I made it with a friend, there was some confusion over which cake tin size to use, and as a result we had to make do without the use of foil-wrapped cardboard. My friend suggested putting the cake tin in a larger pan with about slightly less than 1cm of water in the latter. I'm not sure if it's a fluke and we got lucky, but this time our cake had no cracks in it.

Disclaimer: Had no intention of altering the recipe, but I was intrigued by the results, and am wondering if anybody could shed any light on this.

Is the cake pan really inverted onto a wire rack to cool? Because when I did that, the bottom of the cake separated from the cake pan (as the 2 layers of parchment paper made the cake not stick to the pan) and compressed down onto the rest of the cake. The sides of the cake stuck nicely to the cake pan though. So after being fully cool, I removed the cake from the pan and got a cake with a nice top like in your photo but concave bottom.

I wanted to clear my doubt on the upside down cooling since I got the concave bottom problem. Not sure where have I gone wrong. I'll try baking longer than 55 mins to make it more stiff and see if that works out.

Hi Kitchen Tigress! Sorry for asking such a dumb question, but I was wondering if there was a way that you can maybe have a conversion option that would allow an individual to choose to convert to US measurements? Everything looks so good and fun to bake! Can't wait to try one of your recipes! :) Thanks

The French call thin sponge cakes "biscuits" (pronounced "bis-quee"). It's not the same as English biscuits (which are cookies, more or less) or American biscuits (which are scones). "Bis-quee" should never be translated into "bis-kit". The two words just happen to have the same spelling.

Hi KT, I have no intention to 'copy' your recipe. If I intend to, I wouldn't have link the post to yours. With this understanding, I have deleted my post and will not dare try any of your recipes in future to avoid any misunderstandings. Really sad to be addressed as despicable and a 'low-life' thief. I would be grateful if you have informed me in another way instead of branding me as such. Bye-bye.

1) The screen shot of your post shows clearly you copied and pasted from my blog.

2) I left a comment on your blog yesterday evening and again this morning, asking you to delete the text you had stolen. You just ignored my request. So this afternoon I put your profile photo on my blog, with a fitting label. If I hadn't done that, you'd have continued to ignore me.

3) Readers may repost my recipes but they must rewrite the instructions. If they copy and paste from my blog, without changing anything or with very minimal changes, that's an infringement of copyright even if there's a linkback to my original post.

Hi KT, it's a weekend and I don't hook myself to the PC all the time. I usually write the methods in my own words [simplified version] so that it is easier for readers to follow. It could have been oversight but rest assured it will not happen again cos' I won't be trying your recipes anymore no matter how good it looks. Being branded a 'thief' by sharing a recipe this way is not worthy and the worst insult in my life.

Hi KT, finally I got time to bake again this Marble Butter Sponge Cake. It is most successful this time! I followed all the ingredients and converted to fit in a 20cm cake pan. What a wonderful time enjoying this cake with my family on a Mother's Day! Thank you for sharing the recipe!Warm regards,Sharon

Chillax KT! I think he was just wondering whether that was really a wired rack or if it was something else! :) i dont think he was doubting you, i think he just wanted to make sure that he was following your recipe correctly :) hope this cleared up some misunderstandings (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ

Hi KT, I've tried ur Marble Butter Sponge Cake recipe once yesterday evening and it didn't rise well. As it tasted really good, I decided to try baking another one this morning. Yet it turned out the same. I followed every steps as closely as possible. Have no idea what went wrong. I'm feeling so miserable that I couldn't get it right. Really envy Sharon and Ash.Regards,Amy

Thank you for the encouraging words! Yes, every time after I failed, I watched your video again and again, especially right before I bake again, I watch first to recall all the detailed steps. I suspect a few areas I've done before should have done better, as follows:

1. The roux temperature was still too high when I added vanilla extract, salt & 20g egg white- In the recipe KT stated to wait for about 30 seconds. However, temperature varies (it could be by different stove we use, or the heating time of the butter as I suspect I heated butter for too long). So, this time I let the edge of heat cool for more than 30 seconds, then added vanilla extract, salt & 20g egg white. Immediately I saw that the batter was not as thick as the last time I baked.

2. Too much mixing. To minimise the no. of mixing, I adjusted the following:- Add egg yolk in 3 batches as advised by KT, and I added the 2nd & 3rd batch when the previous batch was about 80% mixed. On the 3rd batch, I make sure I mixed it well- when I mixed the meringue with the batter, I first used a spatula to gently cut the meringue crossed and diagonally (Chinese = 米字）, then used the whisk to mix while turning the mixing bowl, in a slick operation. Again, I added the 2nd or 3rd batch of egg white when the previous batch was about 80% mixed. At last, I scraped down and fold the batter to make it even by using spatula again. I find it this way, the no. of mixing is reduced and it can be evenly mixed faster

3. The egg white must be whisked up to firm peak stage- I suspect the last 3 times when I whisked the egg white, it was only a bit over soft peak. This time, I mixed it longer (but have to check every few rounds of mixing) and make sure it was a "fully" firm peak stage, not the beginning of firm peak stage. Since this recipe does not contain any raising agent (i.e. baking powder/soda) It fully rely on the egg white to make it rise

4. I might have over-mixed the cocoa powder with the 20g batter- I realised that when i mixed the cocoa powder with the batter, it thickens the batter. When it's too thick and is added to the rest of the batter, it might be too heavy and as a result, affect the rising of the cake. So, I mixed them in a small measuring cup and found that it's easier to mix them thoroughly.

5. Ensure the cake is evenly baked - The oven I use is a compact, home-use oven, not a professional kind. So, when I brought up the cake from bottom to the lower-middle shelf, I turned the cake pan to help it bake even which might help the cake rise evenly

I've attached the picture showing how high the cake rise from last time and this time, FYR.

I hope the above information helps the readers. However, if my understanding/method is incorrect, kindly correct me as I worried that I might have written something incorrect that confuse other readers: :-)

I just shared some steps I've done differently this time, on my previous post after KT's comments. Please see if those information would help. I only see improvement after I tried 4 times. So, don't give up!

Hi Sharon, Thanks for ur words of encouragement. I'd definitely try again cos they really tasted so good even though thet sank. I've baked 3 times and I'm really having phobia now cos it sank more and more after each attempt. What do you mean by "the edge of heat"? And can I whisk the egg whites with high speed instead of what's stated in the recipe? Lastly, my oven only has 3 layers shelves. Can I bake my cake on the bottom shelf all the way till it's done? And my oven will take some time for it to reach from 160°C to 180°C. Must I take out the cake and wait till it reaches 180°C or just increase the temperature and time, leaving the cake in the oven? Kindly advise.Regards, Amy

Sharon, could you please share with me the recipe for 20cm pan please? Thanks for your encourage! i will try more until i success with this cake. My cake didn´t rise well, but it tasted really nice so i really love this recipe thanks to KT

Hi KT, I really got to say your recipes are the best. I always have consistent success with them, no matter which recipe i tried. Any chance that there will be a recipe for french macarons? have tried a couple of recipes on the net and followed all the directions but the results were horrible..

Sorry for my late reply! How I interpret the "edge of heat" from KT's recipe is that when I touch the side of the bowl, the temperature cools down from a bit hot to warm after around a minute. Waiting time varies depending on how hot the oil is heated.

Regarding the speed of whisking egg white, it's hard to answer whether you can use high speed as I've never seen the speed of your mixer. I think the key success factor is to catch the moment of "firm peak stage", not over not less. I found the following link very useful to determine different meringue stages. For me, my mixer only has one speed. So, even some recipe calls for low speed at first, then high speed, my mixer does not support those. Having said that, it (though only one speed) can still produces right stage of meringue. http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-soft-peaks-firm-115557

Regarding the shelf of oven, you can only tell after you tried. As for switching the oven temp, unless the recipe calls for waiting the oven light off and then on again, otherwise I just quickly turn the temperature after bringing the cake pan up to medium, in slick operation, to prevent temperature drops down quickly when the oven door is opened. The key is to get a right oven temperature by using an oven thermometer prior baking.

if you have a 20cm cake pan, you also need to measure the height of the cake pan. The above converted ingredients is for a 20 x 8 cm cake pan.

FYI, you can do calculation of cake pan volume by using the following formula:3.14 x (diameter/2) x (diameter/2) x heightThen, compare the 2 cake pan volumes and you will get the value of how much you need to convert.

Hi Amy, sorry for my late reply. How I interpret "the edge of heat" from KT's recipe is that when I touch the side of the bowl, the temperature drops from a bit hot to warm.

As for the speed of your mixer, it's hard to say as I've never seen the speed of the mixer. To give you an example, my mixer does not have different speed function. So, when some recipe calls for low speed first then change to high speed, my mixer doesn't support those. Having said that, it can still produce right stage of meringue. I think the key success factor is to catch the moment of meringue stage (i.e. firm peak for this recipe). You may find this link useful to determine various meringue stages:http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-soft-peaks-firm-115557

As for the shelf of your oven, you only know the outcome after you tried. For the temperature, unless the recipe calls for leave the door open until the oven light turns off and on again, otherwise I just open the door, bring up the cake pan, change temperature quickly and close. It has to be a slick operation to minimise the loss of heat in the oven when the door is opened. The key is to use a right temperature. You can check your oven temperature by using an oven thermometer.

Hi KT, I've been baking chiffon cake recently. However, the result was not satisfied. My chiffon cakes were not as soft and bouncy as yours but a little bit wet to the touch, it's something like japanese cotton cheese cake(texture), the taste was fine though. Will you give me some advice to overcome this problem?

I used your recipe. As you can see from the picture, the inside of the cake is still wet. I had tried baking it several times but it turned out the same. Do you have any idea of what causes this failure?

Hi KT! Thanks for your recipe! We have "Friday Cake" in my office and today is my turn! I made lemon roll cake with lemon zest & mix of lemon/strawberry jam for filling. Haven't cut the cake yet, we'll eat them for snack time in the afternoon.

KT, if one is living in Asia or Africa, then online shopping isn't as accessible as you think because: (1) people buy and pay in cash mostly (2) not everyone has a bank account because they don't work? It is normal for the husband to be the breadwinner and also, that husband might not have a credit card (only debit).And, in case you're wondering, prepaid cards aren't available everywhere either.How I know? I've lived in 3 different continents so far, and only after living in Canada I understood that payment through plastic cards was the norm in first world countries, even if for gum.SO CHILLAX!!

Hi KT,I want to give this recipe a try. My concern is I only have a glass rectangle pan. With it being hot after being in the oven, do you think the pan will break or crack when I drop it from 1' high as in your instruction? Thanks for your help.